M6:4581 — ای هزاران کعبه پنهان در کنیس / ای غلط‌انداز عفریت و بلیس

Translation: O thousands of Ka'bas hidden in the synagogue! O you who mislead Afrit and Iblis!

Meaning: This verse suggests that divine and sacred truth (the Ka'ba) can be concealed within outwardly profane or unexpected forms (a synagogue), and this very hiddenness serves to test insight and mislead evil spirits and the unworthy.

Here, in this verse, we encounter one of the deepest and most fundamental teachings of the Mathnawi: the divine reality concealed within the fabric of this world. Mawlana points to a seeming paradox: how can the Ka'ba, the unparalleled symbol of sanctity in Islam, be hidden within a synagogue, which from a conventional religious perspective, is another space? This expression, far beyond a theological discussion, indicates that truth always appears in unfamiliar and unexpected guises.

I interpret this as a manifestation of 'Divine Jealousy' (ghayrat-i ilāhī). Truth is so precious and invaluable that God conceals it behind veils and deceptive appearances, so that only the eyes of the discerning and pure-hearted souls can behold it. This is precisely what we read in the preceding verses: "A being hidden in non-being / A prostrated one in the nature of a prostrator," or "Iron and stone outwardly dark / Within, a light and candle of the world." Truth resides within seemingly dark and incongruous exteriors.

Mawlana explicitly states that this concealment of truth is purposeful: "O you who mislead Afrit and Iblis." This vividly recalls the story of Adam and Iblis. Iblis saw only the 'clay and water' of Adam and was deceived by his earthly form, failing to perceive the 'prince' — the divine manifestation — residing within Adam. He was misled because he lacked the insight to recognize the treasure within the ruin. Here too, the 'Ka'ba' in the 'synagogue' becomes invisible to the Iblis-like figures and Afrits, meaning the unworthy and the unperceptive; they see only the outward form and remain deprived of the essence.

This perspective, in a sense, is a prelude and an introduction to the significant 'Story of the Three Princes' in Book Six of the Mathnawi, one of Mawlana's longest and most profound narratives. There, too, we see how the 'prince' (symbolizing the human soul, emanating from the source of the Supreme Sultan) is hidden within the 'cow-body' (symbolizing the material body and ruin). The treasure is placed in the ruin so that the 'old ass' (i.e., Iblis and the ungrateful ignorant) may flee from it, mistaking it for a mere cow, not the prince. This wisdom of concealment is both a test for humanity and a veil for the impure.

Key takeaways

• Divine truth is often hidden in unfamiliar and unexpected guises.
• This hiddenness serves to test human insight and to mislead evil forces.
• One who perceives only the outward form remains deprived of the inner, divine essence.
• The physical body and material world can serve as a veil for the soul and transcendent truth.